Unread postby seeds » Mon Feb 11, 2013 3:19 am
I have a Vex fl-8,and have had it since Zercom was it's only real competitor. For years I had it mounted on the bow of my Smokercraft during open water months. I eventually wore out the brushes and paid to have the unit rebuilt. I'd never sell it and it still occasionally sees use.
Several years ago i succombed to the temptation to buy the latest,greatest (at the time),new Marcum LX-3. It does have better target seperation but I swear it's not as good as during it's first season.. It used to have great IR....It was in for warranteed repair twice during it's first season,and I paid for repair once since that. I'd still rather use the lx-3 than the fl-8 due to target seperation. However,the toughness and reliability of the Vex mean a lot to me.
I'll go home and skip the first part of prime time rather than fish without a forgotten flasher. I did that last week - a 1 hour turnaound time put me back on the ice 10 minutes after sundown when I'd originally been there an hour earlier.
I will not do two-day (or longer) icefishing trips without my Vexilar as a back-up. I bring an extra battery and two chargers....I removed Marcum's "charging system" and went back to alligator clips. The original charge indicator and plug was a weak spot. It let me down several times before I abandoned it.